In the traditional cuisine the specialities combine the genuinity of typical products with the talent and passion of the "rezdore" , the real parmesan cooks, through rich and tasty recipes that invite to discover the pleasures of food.

Among he first courses of a traditional Parmesan meal the most popular are the tortelli d'erbetta, thin pasta filled with finely chopped spinach and ricotta, as well as the rice bomb or the gnocchi made from potatoes and flour and shaped into little balls. Cooked in boiling water, they can be served with butter and Parmesan cheese or a sauce.

Excellent second courses are slowly boiled beef and poultry, lesso, accompanied by sauces, Parmesan style tripe and stuffed veal, punta di vitello. Horse meat is also commonly eaten in Parma, raw and minced with salt, pepper, olive oil, lemon juice and sometimes grated Parmigiano Reggiano or cooked with potatoes and peppers following a very old recipe: la vecchia.

A local favourite to accompany ham and cured meats, the torta fritta are small triangles of fried dough served warm.

And for something sweet the last course will include a wide range of cakes, doughnuts and puddings as well as the castagnaccio, a chestnuts cake, the chiacchiere, a tradional Carnival fried pastry covered with icing sugar, the spongata, a Christmas dessert filled with honey, nuts, pine seeds, raisins and candies and the shoes of St Ilario, prepared on the day of the patron saint of Parma.